Shattered hearts
by Sappy business
Summary: Help me to get stronger, to get rid of my old self, to turn this weakness into strenght... Help me remember. GaaSaku
1. Childhood

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter 1**

**Childhood**

" _WHY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling her rationality slip away, making place for disconnected thoughts and chaotic accusations._

_Sasuke turned around. _

" _He wasn't trustworthy Sakura, I only did you a favor." He replied coldly._

_Sakura started to tremble, clutching the sides of her head._

" _You didn't know him! None of you knew him! None! None! None!" She yelled hysterically._

_Sasuke snorted._

" _He's a heartless bastard for all I care."_

Sakura simply gazed at Sasuke with blank, bloodshot eyes. The feeling of nausea hitting her as the contents of her stomach climbed their way up. Clutching her guts and covering her mouth with each of her hands, she felt hot, wet tears mingle with the sand that had been left behind on her pale face.

" _Sakura, I killed him to protect you… He could've hurt you." Sasuke now spoke to her in a comforting voice._

Sakura stared out of the window while thinking of her friends back in Konoha, she and her parents were on a vacation in Suna and Sakura just couldn't find anyone to play with. Not that it was any different in Konoha. Most kids would just pick on her because of her large forehead anyway.

Sakura sighed. This was going to be a long, long vacation. She turned away from the window and walked towards the front door, deciding to at least give optimism a try.

"Mom I'm going to play outside!" Sakura called while she was putting her coat on.

" Ok, don't be late for dinner!" Her mom replied from upstairs.

Stepping outside, Sakura clenched her coat. It was already late and the air was freezing, but there were still a lot of children playing outside nonetheless. Sakura closed the door behind her and ran to the playground.

She looked at a few children playing with a red ball.

" Um…" She started.

The children turned to look at her.

" C-Can I.. play with you?" She asked, uncertain of what they would think of her.

Some children shot her some questioning looks.

" No way!" A girl with dark blonde hair that was pulled into a ponytail replied, sensing the vulnerability of the other child.

" W-why not?" Sakura asked with a sad frown.

The blonde grinned.

" Look at you! What's with that forehead of yours?" She replied.

Sakura felt how her eyes slightly started to water. What was wrong with her? She had never done anything wrong towards anyone, let alone this girl. One tear slid down her pale cheek upon having to deal with yet another rejection.

" Look at the forehead girl! She's crying!" The other girl started to yell while she burst out into laughter.

Feeling pumped by the girls accusations, the other children decided to join in.  
" Forehead girl! Forehead girl!" They simultaneously called her.

Sakura felt how more tears made it down her cheeks. Her body trembled slightly and her eyes darkened. Slowly she closed them, trying to ignore all the comments but…

Suddenly she heard all the kids scream and when she opened her eyes she saw them running away as fast as they could, tripping every now and then in their haste. Sakura blinked a few times and quickly looked behind her; a few meters away stood a little boy with flaming red hair and dark rimmed eyes. They just stood there for a while, both saying nothing to each other. Shyly Sakura started to speak.

" Um…H-hey." She stuttered.

The boy just looked at her with surprised eyes. As if he didn't really expect her to talk to him.

" I'm Sakura…W-what's your name?" She asked.  
_Please don't be mean, Please don't be mean!_ She thought desperately.

A small smile formed on the boys face.

" Gaara."

Sakura thanked the gods. Finally someone accepted her! At least…She hoped so.

" Ok Gaara! Want to play?" She asked excited. She had never made any friends before.

Slowly Gaara nodded. Sakura squealed and pulled him to the sand box.

" Um…Do you feel any pain?" She asked, taking the role as nurse very seriously.

Slowly Gaara nodded and pointed at his heart.

" It…It always hurts here…I'm not injured but it really hurts."

Sakura frowned. She knew what kind of pain Gaara meant. She felt it too.

Every time the world seemed to hate her she felt a stabbing pain in her chest. But whenever she told her mother, she would cuddle her and whisper sweet things in her ear. It would make Sakura feel better right away and the pain would disappear ever so slightly.

" I know how I can treat that." She spoke.

Gaara looked up wide eyed. " Y-You do?" He asked.

Sakura nodded. Slowly she bent forward and took Gaara into her small arms while humming a song. Gaara sat stiff for a moment but slowly began to relax. He listened to the soft humming of Sakura's voice, it somehow made him feel calm and at peace. After a few minutes Sakura sat back again and looked at Gaara.

" Feel better now?" She asked.

Gaara nodded and smiled at her. All the pain he had felt was gone.

" SAKURA!" Someone suddenly called.

Sakura looked around and noticed her mother searching for her nearby.

" I gotta go. I was supposed to be back before dinner." She said whilst standing upright.

She paused for a moment and looked at Gaara.

" Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked.

" Yes." He answered and watched her go.

Sakura ran up to her mother and pulled her sleeve. Her mother turned around with a worried look on her face.

" Sakura where have you been? Dinner's ready."

" I was playing…With a friend." Sakura replied while following her mother to their temporary home.

The walls were a sandy color brown, just like the floor and the ceiling. One large window was placed in the middle of a wall.

Sakura walked towards it and looked outside. She could see miles and miles of sand dunes. It seemed like the desert never ended, of course she knew better. The moon shone brightly, giving the dunes a silvery edge. Small animals could be seen in their shadows. Sakura sighed. Suna was nothing like Konoha. She missed the trees and plants, heck she even missed the grass. In comparison with Konoha, Suna looked…Almost dead. No trees, no flowers nor grass grew here. There was only sand…Sand…And more Sand. Sakura didn't really understand why people would even want to live here.

Slowly Sakura turned away from the window and approached her bed. Tiredly she let her small body fall onto it. In a matter of seconds she was fast asleep… 

" Have you heard of the demon boy terrorizing the village?" Her mom asked her dad.

" Yeah I heard he kills everthing that comes in his path." Her dad replied.

" I think we should return back to Konoha as soon as possible."

" You may be right, but I still have to finish some business with the Kazekage."

Sakura's mom frowned.

" Can't we just leave? I'm worried for Sakura."

Sakura's dad sighed.

" All right, we'll leave tonight."

Sakura's eyes widened. They would leave…Tonight! What about Gaara? He was her very first friend! She couldn't just leave him!

Sakura jumped off of her stool and ran outside. She could hear her parents calling for her but she ignored them. She had to see Gaara, it probably would be her last chance. When she arrived at the playground she immediately noticed him due to his red hair.

" Gaara!" She called.

Gaara looked up from the ground he was previously staring at.

Sakura came running towards him.

" Gaara! My parents want to leave Suna tonight!" Sakura said, trying to hold back her tears.

" Why?" He asked dumbstruck.

" They mentioned something about a demon boy terrorizing the city, they're worried that he'll hurt me." Sakura explained.

Gaara's eyes saddened.

" Gaara? What's the matter?" Sakura asked.

"…" He was silent.

" Gaara?"

" It's nothing." He said softly, almost whispering.

Sakura frowned at him.

" We'll meet again, don't worry." She smiled.

Gaara gave her a weak smile in return.

" Please Sakura, listen to your parents, I don't want you to get hurt." He spoke.

Slowly he took something from under his shirt. It was a necklace, it consisted of a ball made of glass containing a pink flower. Sakura's eyed widened, it was gorgeous

" Here take this, I have one too. This way we will always remember each other 'kay?" He explained.

With shaking hands Sakura took the necklace, carefully she hung it around her small neck. She smiled, it looked beautiful.

" Gaara…" Sakura started.

Gaara looked up.

" Will you promise me you'll never die?" She asked.

Gaara laughed, it was a small kind laugh.

" Why would I?" He asked.

Sakura smiled weakly.

" I don't know, I just want to be sure."

Gaara's head suddenly whipped around.

" Gaara what are you doing here?" A man with blond hair asked.

" U-Um I…I was just…..Playing with my friend." He stuttered while quickly hiding the necklace around Sakura's neck.

The man frowned.

" You know your father is expecting you for your training, your 6th birthday is in a few days already."

Gaara looked at the ground with sad eyes.

" I know." He said.

He stood with his back facing Sakura. He turned his head to look at her. His jade eyes looked sad and depressed.

" Farewell Sakura." He said.

Sakura felt tears running down her cheeks.

" Farewell Gaara."

Gaara turned to leave but was stopped when Sakura grabbed his arm. He turned around and looked at her. She bent forward and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. His face turned bright red. A small smile adored it.

" Remember me." Sakura said.

Gaara nodded.

" I will." He reassured her and turned around.

Sakura looked at his retreating back whilst smiling. They would stay friends, no need to worry. They would meet again and they would be just as good friends as they were now. Sakura grinned.

With that on her mind she skipped back towards her 'home' ready to leave again. But of course, she would come back someday. When she reached the front door she opened it and walked in.

" Let's go home." She whispered to herself

Looking back at the playground and the rest of Suna one more time.

" Remember me Gaara."

Re-doing a lot of chapters.


	2. Remember

_" Let's go home." She whispered to herself_

_Looking back at the playground and the rest of Suna one more time._

_" Remember me Gaara."_

**Chapter 2**

**Remember**

_SIX YEARS LATER._

Sakura woke up due to her alarm. With her fist she hit her clock, making it fall to the ground and break. Great, that was the 5th this week. She sighed and sat up. Time for another day of training. She hopped out of bed and put on her usual red dress, combed her hair and tied up her Konoha headband. She looked to her right and saw her necklace hanging at the doorknob. She took it and hung it around her neck. She stared a few seconds at the pink flower inside. It always appeared in her dreams, along with a voice. It was a nice but sad voice, probably belonging to a boy from around 5/6 years old. She always believed that, when she was younger, that boy used to be her best friend. She always imagined him with black silky hair and beautiful blue eyes. The words he would always say in her dreams were stuck inside her head.

" Farewell Sakura."

She always imagined that they had some sort of dramatic goodbye and that he gave her the necklace, as a token to remember him. Sakura sighed. Those kind of things would only happen in fairytales. She opened her door and walked downstairs, she sat down at the dinner table and started to eat breakfast. When she was done she walked out the door and ran towards the bridge where they would always meet. She saw Naruto yelling at some weird guy holding up someone at his scarf, probably Konohamaru. When she arrived Sakura took a closer look at the guy holding Konohamaru. He was clad in black and wore a cat-like hat. His face had strange purple markings on it and he had a mummy like thing hanging over his shoulders. Suddenly a stone flew through the air, hitting the guy's hand. " Ouch!" He said while dropping Konohamaru and rubbing his hand. Everyone looked at the thrower of the stone.

Sasuke.

" Sasuke!" Sakura yelled happily.

" What do you think you're doing in another's village?" He asked while throwing the rock up and down.

" Another kid that pisses me off." The black clad ninja mumbled.

" Get lost." Sasuke crushed the rock with his bare hand.

" Hey! Come down you kid! I hate kids like you who think they're so clever." The ninja said while reaching for one of the straps of his 'mummy' like thing.

He pulled it down and let it drop to the ground while holding the top with his left hand.

" Kankuro! You're not going to use Karasu are you?" The blonde girl that was with him asked.

" Kankuro…Stop it."

A deep, monotone voice suddenly spoke. Sakura felt shivers running up and down her spine. She had heard that voice before…Somewhere… Why couldn't she remember?

" G-Gaaraaaa." Kankuro spoke in a weird voice. Fear was easy to recognize in it.

Gaara? Gaara? Gaara? It sounded so familiar!

" You're a disgrace to our village…" The guy named Gaara said. " Why do you think we came all the way to konoha?" He continued.

" Listen up Gaara." Kankuro started. " These guys started it!"

" Shut up." Gaara said. " I'll kill you."

"I was at fault." Kankuro continued desperately. Sweat forming on his painted face. " I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

Gaara looked towards Sasuke who was sitting on a branch.

" Excuse then, you guys." Gaara said.

" …"

" Let's go we didn't come here to fool around." Gaara spoke and jumped down from the branch he was previously standing on.

"I know." Kankuro said.

This guy…Why did he seem so familiar?

" Wait up." Sakura called out.

" What is it?" The blonde asked.

" Judging from your forehead protectors you guys are from the hidden village of the sand, right?" Sakura started. " The country of fire and the country of wind have an alliance, but treaty prevents ninja's from entering each other's country's without permission." She took a step forward. " State your purpose."

with that the 3 sand nin's turned around.

" What you're looking for is closer to you than you think." The girl simply stated. " You don't know anything?" The girl held out a card. " This is a traffic pass." She said. " We came to this village to take the Chuunin exams."

" What's a chuunin exam?" Naruto asked.

Konohamaru explained it to Naruto while Sasuke jumped down from the tree.

" Hey you there." He called out. " What's your name?"

" Me?" The girl asked shyly.

" No the one next to you with the gourd." Sasuke pointed out.

" ..." The boy, Gaara turned around.

" Sabaku No Gaara." He stated.

" What's your name?" Gaara asked.

" Uchiha, Sasuke." Sasuke said with a smirk.

" Hey, hey what about me?" Naruto interrupted.

" Not interested." Gaara said and turned around. With that the 3 sand nin's took off.

Sakura stood there deep in thought…Who exactly was this Gaara? Did she meet him before?

" Hey Sakura you alright?" Naruto asked.

"Huh... Oh um yeah sure." Sakura said snapping out of her deep thoughts. She had to keep her head clear.

" Come on let's go we don't want to get late for Kakashi's training." With that Naruto and Sasuke walked off.

Sakura followed a few minutes later.

The training was hard and tiring, just like always. Sakura would always give all she had, but would still fail. She would always get frustrated with her weakness and would just simply give up, stating that she was tired. And when training was over, she would stay, she would train until she would fall over from exhaustion and then she would finally head home. But until now, she hadn't become stronger at all. No matter how hard she trained, she would stay weak.

So, now training was over, Sakura was throwing Shuriken at one of the aiming circles.

All missed.

She tried again and again, getting the same result over and over again. When her legs gave out underneath her she let herself fall to the ground. She was breathing fast and her body was covered with scratches from some shuriken that would deflect and hit her.

She let out a frustrated groan and pulled at her hair. She wasn't coming anywhere with this. Why would she even continue? She just wouldn't get any stronger!

Suddenly she heard some rustling coming from the bushes. She jumped up and took out a kunai.

" Who's there?" She asked.

A figure made its way towards her.

When he was close enough she recognized the boy she had met earlier this day, Gaara. He smirked.

" You Konoha genin are really as weak as I thought they would be." He stated. His voice was low and sounded almost…Lunatic?

Sakura looked at him with wide eyes. She felt anger rising from the pit of her stomach. But before she could make any remarks she noticed something hanging around his neck.

It was a necklace, containing a pink flower with red streaks, just like hers.

" You. Where did you get that necklace?" She asked, trying to keep her voice monotone.

Gaara was silent for a minute.

" That is none of your concern." He answered and turned away, walking towards the bushes again.

Sakura didn't move for a moment but she eventually ran after him.

" What do you want?" He asked.

" Could you train me?" Sakura looked at him with begging eyes.

" That's ridiculous." Gaara answered and ignored her looks.

" Do you remember where you got that necklace from? You don't do you? If you train me I'll tell you how you got it."

Of course, Sakura didn't even know where she got hers. But she had a feeling that he might held the answers.

Gaara was silent. They walked on for a few minutes until he finally spoke.

" Deal, but if I find out that you do not speak the truth about it. I. Will. Kill. You."

Sakura smiled. Maybe she was finally getting an answer to a question that had been bugging her for almost her entire life.

To who belonged the voice in her dreams. And who gave her the necklace?


	3. Day 1

__

_" What do you want?" He asked._

_" Could you train me?" Sakura looked at him with begging eyes._

_" That's ridiculous." Gaara answered and ignored her looks._

_" Do you remember where you got that necklace from? You don't do you? If you train me I'll tell you how you got it."_

_Of course, Sakura didn't even know where she got hers. But she had a feeling that he might held the answers._

_Gaara was silent. They walked on for a few minutes until he finally spoke._

_" Deal, but if I find out that you do not speak the truth about it. I. Will. Kill. You."_

_Sakura smiled. Maybe she was finally getting an answer to a question that had been bugging her for almost her entire life._

_To who belonged the voice in her dreams. And who gave her the necklace?_

* * *

The rising sun shone brightly through Sakura's window. It was only 5 o'clock in the morning, but Sakura had to meet with Gaara in the forest in only 5 minutes. She rushed downstairs, grabbed her lunch she had made the day before and rushed out. She ran towards the forest as fast as she could and arrived there at 3 past 5. She sat down on a large branch and closed her eyes. She started humming a song her mom would always hum to her when she was little. Sakura didn't remember much from her childhood, everything that had took place before her 6th birthday was one big blur.

She heard a snap and stopped humming. She opened her eyes and saw Gaara giving her a weird look.

" Where did you learn that song?" He asked.

" My…Mom used to sing it to me whenever I was sad…Why? " She replied, curious why he wanted to know such a thing.

" I do not see why I should explain myself to you."

Sakura looked disappointed.

" We have 2 weeks until the Chuunin exams. We will train non-stop all day long, you can only rest at night and we will take very short breaks so we can drink and eat." Gaara pointed out.

Sakura looked at him wide eyed. " You mean we'll be here in the forest for 2 weeks!?"

" Yes."

" But…Won't there be any people worrying about…You?"

" No."

" And where will we be sleeping?"

Gaara threw a bag at her that probably contained a tent. But she noticed, it would only fit one person, and it seemed Gaara didn't have another one with him.

" Um, I don't think we'll be able to sleep in this together. "

" We're not going to."

Sakura was silent again.

" Now, if you think you're ready, we can start training."

Sakura nodded.

* * *

" Today I will train your taijutsu skills, taijutsu is the base of almost every jutsu and fighting move. If you obtain great speed, you are able to use offence and defense at the same time. The enemy won't be able to keep up with your movements so it'll be almost impossible for him or her to hit you. It also leaves great gaps in his or her defense giving you the chance to hit him or her."

Sakura listened carefully, not wanting to miss any word.

" We'll start with trying to improve your speed, as warming up you'll have to run 200 laps around the forest, if you can't, I'll have no other choice then to kill you."

Sakura's eyes widened, he was joking…Right?

" Well? What are you still doing here? If I were you, I would run for my life."

Sakura jumped up as quick as she could and started running.

He wasn't serious about killing her right!? He was just joking, yes that must be it, just so she would use everything she had. But still, Sakura had the feeling it wasn't a joke at all.

Silly her.

She ran through the forest, birds were chirping beautiful songs that pleasured her ears. She could hear the flipping of wings, the rustling of leaves and the wind blowing through the trees. Normally she wouldn't really pay attention to all these small things, but as she ran here, all alone and nothing on her mind, all the sounds and noises that the forest made reached her ears. To her right was a large waterfall, filling her ears with the sound of splashing water. As she looked at it she saw all the colors that the clear water reflected. It sure looked amazing, she had to remember this place. After almost 150 laps, she felt her legs getting tired and strained. The forest was **huge**, making the laps she had to run almost 10 miles each.

When she reached lap number 199 she felt how her legs started to wobble, feeling like some kind of pudding.

'Damn!'

There was no way she could make this lap!

Halfway through her legs gave out underneath her, she fell to the ground with a hard thud. Her vision became blurry and in a matter of seconds, it turned black.

* * *

Gaara saw the girl falling. He walked up to her and noticed that she was unconscious.

" Stupid girl, running until she's unconscious."

But from the inside, he simply found her amazing.

He did some seals and in a matter of seconds the girl floated on sand. it was still morning, meaning she still had a whole day to go. He returned to the camp they made and left her on a blanket that was spread out over the ground. He walked over to a nearby tree and sat down against it. He looked over at Sakura, sleeping peacefully at the moment. Why did she seem oh so familiar? Had he met her before? No, that couldn't be, right? Gaara closed his eyes and leaned his head on the tree.

He wondered, why had he agreed with training this girl? Was it really just because the necklace? Was there another reason? Maybe it had something to do with her familiarity.

" Ugh." He heard Sakura groan.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. She was starting to wake, her body moved around and her eyes looked at him half lidded.

" Did I pass out?" She asked, her voice was groggy.

" Yes."

" Oh…Will you still train me?"

What a stupid question.

" Of course."

The girl smiled and jumped up.

" Okaaay! So what will you learn me next?"

Gaara had to admit he was somewhat shocked at her sudden burst of energy.

" I will train your flexibility."

" Flexibility…Why?"

" In order to perform certain kicks and punches you need to bendy, Agile, it also helps avoiding getting hit."

Sakura made a 'ooh' with her mouth.

" Now watch closely." Gaara said while standing up and taking a few steps away from Sakura.

Sakura nodded.

Gaara closed his eyes and took a large breath. He opened his eyes again, swung his arms back, arched his back and launched himself backwards making 3 flick-flacks. Sakura looked at him in full amazement. When he launched himself from the ground with his hands during the third –flip he tossed his body, making a perfect salto and landed on the ground safely.

Sakura looked at him wide eyed.

" How are you expecting me to do such a thing!?"

Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrows. He sighed and walked up to her, he gestured her to turn around and created a solid wall of sand supporting her back.

" Now lean backwards." He said.

She stretched her arms above her head and leaned her body backwards.

" Now arch your back and place your hands on the ground."

Sakura did as told, her body was in a perfect curve, her weight supported by the sand.

" Now try to swing your legs upwards so you'll end up in a hand stand." He demanded.

Sakura swallowed a lump and flexed her arm muscles, sending all her chakra into them. Then she send some chakra into her feet blasting them from the ground.

Gaara looked at her, even though his face was completely free from emotion, he was surprised by the way she controlled her chakra.

" Now, try to flip your body backwards again and land upon your hands."

Sakura gave a nervous nod. She sent another burst of chakra into her arms and launched herself backwards. She flipped her body and landed on her feet.

" Wow." Was all she could say.

" We'll practice this later, but we have way more things to do for today, and looking at the sun it's already getting noon." Gaara stated while gazing at the sky.

Sakura stood, implying she was ready for more.

* * *

" We will now train your balance. You will be blindfolded and have to manage to run over that fallen tree." Said Gaara pointing at tree that connected two pieces of land divided by a cliff.

It was a thin, old tree. Sakura wondered if it wouldn't break under her weight.

" Oh yeah, I might want to mention that, if you fall, you die."

Sakura had to admit Gaara sure knew how to encourage his students… Gaara walked up to her, revealing a cloth. He covered her eyes with it and pushed her towards the tree.

" Do you really think this is a good idea?"

" Personally, I think it's a great idea." He replied.

Sakura huffed. She felt her foot touching the bark. Sweat drops made their way down her face. Carefully she brought her foot forwards, placing it upon the tree. The bark creaked.

No way she would survive this.

Carefully she placed another step upon it. The tree cracked and creaked underneath her. This had to be a really old dead tree. She tried to take another step but she didn't know where to place her foot. ' OH MY GOD! I have to see! I need to see!' She called desperately in her mind. She put her foot in front of her and felt the tree. She sighed. But, as she placed her foot upon it, she felt herself slip off. There was no way she could place her foot on it to regain balance in time, not now she couldn't see anything. She felt her body tumbling forward.

' Help me!'

Without Sakura noticing, almost all her chakra went to her eyes. She felt a stinging pain and clenched them. Suddenly all the pain was gone and when she opened them she saw all kinds of colors through the cloth. A long back line lay underneath her.

" The tree!" She said, accidently aloud.

She placed her foot on the black line, just in time to break her fall. She didn't know what happened to her vision, but she sure was liking it. With ease she walked over the thin, dead tree.

When she reached the other side of the cliff she took off the lint and looked at Gaara. But she was shocked at what she saw. Hundreds of colors surrounded him, some were brighter than other, but the brightest was a dark red color surrounding the place of his heart. She looked into his eyes, even though his face was impassive, all kinds of colors swirled in them. What did they mean?

" What are you staring at?" He asked.

Sakura blinked a few moments, trying to recover from her shock.

" N-nothing." She answered quickly.

She walked back to Gaara again. The closer she got, the stronger the colors were.

What did they mean?

" I guess your balance is good enough. You may take a break to eat and drink."

Sakura nodded with a smile.

" Oh wait Gaara! I…Um forgot to bring my food, could I please go home and bring it?" She asked.

Gaara was silent for a moment.

" Sure."

Sakura's smile widened.

" I'll be back in a minute." And with that she took off.

* * *

Her legs still hurt, but she had to find out what the colors she saw meant. She was planning to buy a book about it in Konoha, if she could at least find one. She dashed through the forest, following the same pad she took this morning. When she arrived at konoha she looked for a market. Lucky for her she found one. She looked through the stands, searching for a book about seeing colors. She almost gave up hope when she reached the last stand, but there she saw it. A small book about 'Colored sight.'. She picked it up and looked inside. It mentioned something about being able to see colors for emotions and life energies, something that only few people could. She took some money out of her side pocket and bought the book. She placed it safely into her kunai holster, careful not to lose it. Content she started walking back to the forest again , until…

" SAKURA!" An annoying loud voice called.

Sakura's eye twitched. She turned around, only to come face to face with a grinning Naruto.

" Sakura! How about you and I train together for the exams'!?"

" Ugh, I'm sorry Naruto, but I already have things to do." She replied.

The colors surrounding Naruto went from bright yellow to gloomy blue. Amazing.

" You're planning on training with that bastard aren't you?" He asked, sounding defeated.

" Actually, no. But if you please excuse me I have to go."

" Where to?"

" A place."

"What place? Can I come."

" No you CAN'T!" She lashed out at him.

Naruto's face saddened, his color became almost black.

" Oh well, I won't bother you anymore Sakura." He said turning around.

Sakura felt guilt building up in her stomach.

" Naruto, I'm sorry okay? But you really can't come. The place where I'm going is secret. I don't want anyone to know about it."

Naruto's color lightened.

" Ok Sakura, see ya later." He said walking off, waving happily at her. But Sakura could see he was still sad.

Feeling slightly guilty still, Sakura continued her way back. She didn't really want to hurt Naruto's feelings, but she was 100 Percent sure Gaara would not like it if she would bring him along. As she walked through the forest she started reading in the small book.

Sight of colors.

It is very rare for people to be able to see colors surrounding other humans and objects. It's a gift that many people wish for. It literally makes you able to see another person's emotions or life younger the person, the brighter the life energy. As they get older the energy fades, and will eventually turn black.

This explained why Sakura had been able to see the tree, it was black, because all its life energy was gone.

Some peoples emotion's are brighter than others. When people hide them from the outside world, it is easier to see them, they literally radiate from another's body. Each color has it's emotion or mood.

Red: Anger.  
Dark red: Pain.  
Yellow: Happiness.  
Pink: Love.  
Blue: Sad.  
Dark blue: Gloomy.  
Black: Depressed.  
Gray: Bored.  
Orange: Content.  
Green: Confused.  
Purple: Wondering.  
White: Heavenly.  
Jade: Amazement.

There are far more colors and emotions. But these are the basics. Normally, they float around someone, but it can be that they are only seeable in their eyes.

These colors can also go under the names of: Aura's.

Sakura looked up from the book again. She was almost there. Carefully she slid it back into her holster again. After a few minutes she arrived at the camp, Gaara was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. Sakura put her hand into one of her pockets and took out some food. She sat down on the spread out mat, starting to eat. Gaara opened his eyes, looking at her. Sakura looked back, trying to give each color an emotion.

Light purple: Curious. Gray: Bored. Blue: Sad. Black: Depressed. Orange: Content.  
How was it even possible to be content and depressed at the same time?

" Your eyes…They changed." Gaara suddenly spoke. His words dripping with curiosity, even though he didn't sound like it.

" How do you mean?"

" They're lighter, and more observing."

" Oh."

" …"

A strange viridian color surrounded him. What could it be? Suspicion?

" Could we move on with my training please?"

Gaara nodded. The color disappeared.

" I will now teach you some kicks and punches." He said.

" You will need to be f, concentrated and alert. Also, you need to obtain the right speed to perform them properly. Now, show me what you can already do."

Sakura looked at him for a moment. " You mean, just by attacking you?"

" Yes."

She shrugged.

She pumped some chakra into her legs and lashed herself at Gaara. She noticed how his 'Aura' Started to turn jade. He was amazed! She jumped into the air, turning her body while outstretching her leg, hitting…Sand?

She landed on the ground again.

" Is that everything?" Gaara asked.

Sakura snorted. Sakura then smirked. She let out another burst of chakra and jumped above Gaara, He looked at her with emotionless eyes, but she could see the colors, he was curious of what she would do next. She pretended to try and punch him, but just before her hand would hit sand, she disappeared. She reappeared behind him and punched him…At least that is what she thought. She hit another sand wall, only this almost touched his skin, preventing her from touching him. Amazing. So that meant he actually had 2 layers protecting him, if not more. Sakura tried everything, but failed to even touch him the slightest. She ended up breathing hard and rapid on the ground.

" That was not all too bad. But you should try to work on your impact. Your speed is good enough, so is your flexibility. But your punches and kicks aren't strong enough to add some serious damage." Gaara spoke.

Sakura actually felt happy, he said she wasn't so bad! And from his 'aura' she could see he was impressed.

" And how do you intent to make them strong enough?" She asked in between her breaths.

Gaara smirked. " Chakra control. Precise chakra control." He said.

A few hours later, the sun was already setting, Sakura was going to retry to hit Gaara.

They had spent all afternoon trying to learn her how to control enough chakra into her fists and feet to add enough damage to knock someone to death.

" Are you ready?" Gaara asked.

Sakura nodded.

" Then come at me."

Sakura ran towards him, trying to spare enough chakra to hit him. She did exactly the same as she had did this afternoon.

She jumped into the air, turning her body while outstretching her leg, she almost reached Gaara. His 'aura' flared all kinds of colors. When she was about to hit him she disappeared. She reappeared again on his right side. She lashed out and punched right into his sand.

Sakura smirked.

She disappeared and reappeared at exactly the same spot again. Gaara eyes actually widened in shock, the sand that just defended him was still floating mid air, not able to defend him from the punch she was launching at him. She inserted a huge amount of chakra into her hand and broke through the second layer, hitting Gaara on the cheek.

Gaara flew through the air, falling through the ground.

On the inside she was cheering, but that came to an end when she saw Gaara's face…It…It was crumbling.  
Another defense!?

" Let's call this a day, you need to rest." He said while standing up. The cracks n his face disappeared again, as if nothing had happened.

Sakura walked to her tent and went inside, she needed a shower, but she could do that the next day, it was too late now.

She laid down, drifting into sleep, her whole body was aching. But, the pain was most definitely worth it.


	4. Day 2

______

__

_She inserted a huge amount of chakra into her hand and broke through the second layer, hitting Gaara on the cheek.  
_

_Gaara flew through the air, falling through the ground.  
_

_On the inside she was cheering, but that came to an end__when she saw Gaara's face…It…It was crumbling._

_Another defense!?_

" _Let's call this a day, you need to rest." He said while standing up. The cracks on his face disappeared again, as if nothing had happened._

_Sakura walked to her tent and went inside, she needed a shower, but she could do that the next day, it was too late now._

_She laid down, drifting into sleep, her whole body was aching. But, the pain was most definitely worth it.

* * *

_

**Chapter 4**

**Day 2**

* * *

Bright sunrays shone upon Sakura's smooth pale skin, sprinkling it in their warmth. A soft, warm summer breeze tussled her soft pink hair. She was sleeping peacefully, enjoying the sound of falling water…Wait a minute…Falling water? Sunrays? Wind? When she went to sleep she was 100% sure she was

inside her tent! Her eyes shot open and immediately took in her surroundings. And what she saw, shocked her. She was hanging above a huge lake near a waterfall…Upside down.

" I already thought you wouldn't really like this." She heard a voice say.

Her head whipped around and her eyes locked with Gaara's.

" YOU THINK!?" She yelled at him, where did he even find the guts to hang her up a tree!?

She was pissed. Off.

She saw thousands of colors surrounding Gaara…But one caught her attention…He was being shy? Concerned? Shaken up? …

Careful and alert, weird…

" Anyway…" He continued, his deep voice ringing in her ears. " I want you to try and escape, without using any chakra."

No chakra!? What was he? Out of his freaking mind!? Ok…Never mind, he was, but still, there was just no possible way she would succeed. If she would cut the rope, she'd fall and she would most definitely hit the rocks hidden under the water's surface. She cursed in her mind.

____

" _He wasn't trustworthy Sakura, I only did you a favor." He said coldly.  
_

Sakura's eyes widened, What was that!? She looked around desperately. Great, her mind was playing tricks on her, niiice… But as she looked around something caught her attention…It was an object, hidden within the leaves of the tree, but as she looked closer she could see colors encircling it, crimson, eerily and dangerous crimson, and she only knew one person that had that kind of color circling around him all the time…Gaara. Sakura smirked, if it weren't for her bloodline limit she never would've seen it. Her eyes turned to slits and focused on the object, it was a short sword with a rope attached to it. Suddenly she knew how to escape. This whole thing wasn't just about escaping, it was about being alert and aware of your surroundings, she looked to her right and saw the waterfall.

She knew what to do.

Carefully she bend her body so she could reach the rope that kept her up in the air. Only one foot was bound so she could easily climb up. With shaking hands she grabbed it and pulled herself up bit by bit. Her feet were firmly keeping her in place by straddling the rope. Slowly but surely she reached the branch on which the rope was tied up.

____

" _You don't know him!"  
_

" Uughh!" What was happening to her? Where were the voices coming from?

____

" A little bird told me."

_" Birds do not talk."_

She aimed, holding the rope with her left hand, and then…She threw.

_" Remember me…"_

Her body visibly stiffened. 'What!?' What was happening? That voice…Just seemed oh so familiar…Vaguely she could remember blue…Icy blue. Where did she see it? She shook her head and looked back at the knife, which had embedded itself in the hard rock wall next to the quickly dropping water. She smirked, tightening her grip in the rope. With great balance she steadied herself upon the rope, carefully placing her feet on it, balancing with all her might. Sweat drops formed upon her bigger than average forehead as she bit her lip. Carefully connecting her feet with the rope, she stood. Her arms were spread out horizontally, helping her with her balance. Then she bend over, untying her legs, letting the rope drop. When she was done she focused on walking the rope again. Carefully putting her feet in front of one another over and over again, leaving her perfectly balanced. A smirk grew upon her face, she was doing it, and she was doing it friggin' good if she might've said so.

Gaara just stood there, watching her with cold eyes. She was trying good yes, but she was forgetting something important. His eyes narrowed as she reached the end of the rope, he saw her bend forward, trying to get a hold of the stone wall…Yes trying.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Shit!" She cursed softly, she had been doing good yes, discovering hidden objects in her surroundings and using them to her advantage, but apparently she had forgotten the fact that there had been a waterfall falling from the immense cliff. Thus making all the rocks and stones slippy within a 7 feet radius. Her face fell, there was no way she could climb the wall without her chakra, she was strong yes, but she couldn't withhold long enough for her to get down. She looked at the ground where Gaara stood watching her carefully, she had done exactly what he had thought she would do. Sakura felt shame taking over her pride as she looked at those cold and indifferent blue eyes…She had failed him…Failed, yet again. Tears started brimming her eyes, she didn't want to feel helpless, she wanted to prove she was strong damn it! Then all of the sudden, a scowl took place upon her pale face, no, she hadn't failed, not yet! She could make it! She could be strong!

Adrenaline started rushing through her body, her eyesight became sharper as she felt her motivation take away all her sadness and insecurity. Just watch me Gaara…Watch me win!

She scanned the area with precision, searching for something that could help her…Then, her eyes narrowed at something…the rope…The rope she had left there hanging, how come she didn't think of it before!? As careful as she could she walked back again, being sure she looked like she was running. She reached the rope again and began taking the knot out that tied it to the large tree. When she was done she bent down. She tied the rope to the one she was currently standing upon and let it hang. Pulling it a few times to make sure it had been tied up strong enough she nodded in approval. She could proudly say that her knots were awesome.

With great strength she slid herself down the rope hanging miles above the ground. She started swinging her feet, making the rope swing with her, Gaara looked at her quizzically, what was she doing? Then all of the sudden she was out of view, he turned his head to see her connected to one of the immense trees. She steadied herself upon one of the large and old branches, she started pulling hard enough at the rope so it came lose. Then she tied it around her waist, tying the other end around the branch, steadying her feet upon the mossy bark she began hopping down, a smirk evident on her face. When she reached the ground she just gave Gaara a nonchalant look. Gaara smirked at her, she was good yes, he had to give her that one. He walked up to her giving her compliments about what she'd shown. An immense proud smile formed upon her face. She had done it!

" Come on, let's go back to camp. Try to remember the route if you can." Gaara spoke.

" …Remember?"

" Yes, remember, it might come in handy one day." Sakura looked at him with, her expression unreadable.

_" Remember me."_

" Say Gaara…?"

Gaara looked at her. " What?" He asked, his voice low again.

" Do you remember?"

" Remember what?" He asked aggravated, what was it with her and speaking of things that didn't make sense. She was silent for a few seconds, the wind took up and ruffled his spiky locks.

"…"

The forest seemed dead due to the heavy and immense silence.

" Remember me…"

* * *

" I know you idiot, you don't have to be so loud about it!"

" But! But!"

"Shut up! You want whole Konoha to know Sakura's been missing!?"

" Sasuke! We need to get help Damn it! Who knows what could've happened to her! 'tebbayo!"

Sasuke sighed, Naruto had a point yes, he just didn't want anyone to know because that would probably raise panic.

" Listen ok! How about you and I go search for her, then if we don't find her we go to the Hokage." Sasuke spoke, Naruto looked at him suspiciously.

" You promise?"

" I promise."

A huge grin spread upon Naruto's face. " Alright Sasuke!" He yelled, pumping his fist in the air. Sasuke scowled at his teammate, knocking him to the ground immediately.

" Hush! You idiot!"

Naruto rubbed his head while glaring at his teammate.

" What the heck was that for!? 'ttebayoo!"

Sasuke scoffed at him. " We don't want to attract any attention now do we?"

" Okay okay, I guess you're right."

Sasuke turned around, scanning his surroundings to check if there were any people who might've overheard their conversation. " What are you doing?" Naruto asked.

" Checking the surroundings of course."

" Ahaaa! Nice one!" Naruto exclaimed, starting to check his surroundings also. When they were sure no one had been there listening in on them they left for the woods, hoping they would find their teammate and friend.

" Say Sasuke…"

" Hn…?"

" Do you think your brother has her?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a look that had ' that's ridiculous' written all over it.

" What would he want from her? She just a weak girl, nothing special."

Naruto frowned. " She's not that weak you bastard, we just never give her any chance to prove herself, we always stand up for her before she even gets the chance to fend herself off."

Sasuke glared at his friend. " So what? Even if she would be strong there's no reason for Itachi to kidnap her."

Naruto was silent. " Maybe he fell in love with her." He eventually pointed out.

Sasuke scowled at him. " Why do you keep bringing my brother into this!?"

Naruto shrugged. " I dunno, it was just a possibility 'ttebayo."

Sasuke sighed.

They continued in silence, the air was heavy and damp, meaning there had to be a source of water near them.

* * *

" Say what?" Gaara asked her, giving her a questioning look.

Sakura sighed " Never mind, it's nothing really…"

Gaara kept on looking at her curiously. " You sure?"

Sakura nodded "yeah, really it's nothing."

…It's…Nothing…Right?

Gaara averted his eyes, looking at his surroundings again, ignoring the familiar feeling that had come over him when she had said the words. He then wondered about how his family was doing, would they be missing him? Did they worry about him? Or were they just worried about him killing people? They were afraid of him, that was obvious, besides everyone he had ever known had been afraid of him…Except for that girl…What was her name again? What did she look like? He didn't remember anymore, and he didn't really care any longer…That was what he was trying convince himself of. She had been the only one who hadn't been intimidated by him…

Gaara glanced at Sakura, catching her emerald eyes staring at him. She quickly turned her head.

" We're there!" Sakura exclaimed happily. Gaara turned his head forward again, seeing that they had indeed reached their destination. Gaara carefully landed on the mush forest floor, looking around the camp to see if anyone had been there.

" So…What are we going to do next?" Sakura asked as she landed next to him, the smell of flowers radiating of her body.

Gaara had to admit that her smell was intoxicating to him, almost forcing him to sniff at her.

" I don't know." He said, his voice not leaking any of the emotions he felt inside, for he had to admit that standing so close to her made him nervous… Too nervous. He saw Sakura looking at him curiously, her large emerald eyes scanning something that wasn't there, observing it, wondering about it.

" How about taking a trip to Konoha? I mean, I could show you around and we could eat something."

Gaara shrugged. He didn't really like the idea of being in Konoha, all the people there made Shukaku thirsty…And not for water.

Besides, he wasn't really the person for being social and stuff, he'd rather be alone instead of spending the day with this girl. Why had he agreed on training her again? Oh yeah, she would help him find out about his past… If he was into this already he could as well go with her right? It wasn't like staying here would make Shukaku any less violent, and he wouldn't really mind… Befriending the pink haired girl.

He sighed, " Ok."

A huge smile spread across her face. " Great! C'mon let's go! It's going to be great and…" Sakura just kept on rambling about what they were going to do, but Gaara didn't listen.

As he made some final hand seals, molding just enough chakra to launch a jutsu that would protect their camp he wondered about the Uchiha.

Sakura had been ignoring the heavy purple and blue clouds that had been surrounding Gaara ever since she had asked if he remembered. He was troubled, and she knew it, but what was he troubled about…_Who_ was he troubled about. Sakura wasn't stupid, and she also wasn't as carefree as everyone thought. She knew what Gaara could do, it wouldn't take long for anyone to notice, for his dangerous aura could be felt from miles, it gave her the creeps somehow.

As she cast her view through the trees, she could vaguely make out a few buildings belonging to Konoha. They were almost there. Shrugging of the dark cloud that had passed over them in their silence she tried to make some conversation with Gaara.

" So Gaara, what's Suna like?" She already knew that for she had been there before, but that didn't stop her from asking.

" Dry."

…Sakura stayed silent for a few seconds.

" Oh…Ok. Well, do you have any best friends over there?"

"…No."

Sakura turned her head to him, his dark purple and blue hues started to turn black.

" Is that so, I don't really have a real friends either…" This obviously surprised Gaara.

" You don't?"

" Nah people always picked on me due to my large forehead." She spoke, pointing to her forehead.

" _Because I don't like you! What's with that forehead of yours?" The girl replied. Sakura felt how her eyes started to water. Why did they always do this to her? She had never done anything wrong towards anyone, let alone the girl. One tear slid down her pale cheek." Look at the forehead girl! She's crying!" The other girl started to yell while she burst out into laughing." Forehead girl! Forehead girl!" All the children started to mock her. Sakura felt how more tears made it down her cheek. Her body trembled slightly an her eyes darkened. Slowly she closed them, trying to ignore all the comments but…_

_Suddenly she heard all the kids scream and when she opened her eyes she saw them running away as fast as they could. Sakura blinked a few times and looked behind her…  
_

Sakura's eyes widened…What was that!? When had that happened?

" You okay?" Gaara asked, his voice lacking real concern.

" Uh…What? Oh, yeah sure! I'm fine, just feeling a little woozy I think." Sakura explained smiling at him.

" Oh..Ok…Well, if it makes you feel better, your forehead isn't that big." That made Sakura stop. What had he just said?

" You coming?" She heard him asking, his voice sounding far away.

Did he really just say what she thought he said? One of her hands travelled up to her forehead, touching it with her fingertips. It. Wasn't. that. Big?

A small smile formed on her paleface. As she started moving forward again her eyes warmed. _Thank you…Gaara.  
_

As they walked through the streets Sakura noticed how people stayed as far away from Gaara as they could, walking around him with an huge bow. She just scolded at them as she walked next to him, shoulder to shoulder though they weren't touching. Sakura showed him all of Konoha, instructing him with its history. It was a pleasant tour. She laughed a few times while he gave ever so small smiles. His mood had swung from black and depressed to blue and content.

Sakura thanked the gods that they hadn't run into any friends of her, saving them the trouble of explaining everything. And so, as the sun began the set, they walked back to the small camp. Their stomachs pleasantly filled and their problems all forgotten.

" _Please Sakura, listen to your parents, I don't want you to get hurt." He spoke. Slowly he took something from under his shirt. It was a necklace, it consisted of a ball made of glass containing a pink flower. Sakura's eyed widened, it looked just like the necklace from her dreams! " Here take this, I have one too. This way we will always remember each other 'kay?" He said. With shaking hands Sakura took the necklace, carefully she hung it around her small neck. She smiled,_

_it looked beautiful._

* * *

" What is it?"

" Sshh, you hear that?"

" Hear what?"

" The water you Idiot."

Naruto tried his best to hear the sound too… Far away, an enormous waterfall could be heard.

" If anyone did actually capture Sakura, I'm sure they'd stop by the water, and when they stop, they leave a trail." Sasuke explained, Naruto's frown turned into an huge grin.

" You're a genius!"

They emerged from the bushes, running towards the waterfall. As they jumped into the trees the moon came into view, giving the forest an eerie effect. Every snapping twig could be heard, every bird and every mouse….Every footstep on the mush branches of the old trees, footsteps of the boys searching for their friend…


	5. On the run

" _What is it?"_

" Sshh, you hear that?"

" Hear what?"

" The water you idiot."

Naruto tried his best to hear the sound too… Far away, an enormous waterfall could be heard.

" If anyone did actually capture Sakura, I'm sure they'd stop by the water, and when they stop, they leave a trail." Sasuke explained, Naruto's frown turned into an huge grin.

" You're a genius!" "

_They emerged from the bushes, running towards the waterfall. As they jumped into the trees the moon came into view, giving the forest an eerie effect. Every snapping twig could be heard, every bird and every mouse….Every footstep on the mush branches of the old trees, footsteps of the boys searching for their friend…_

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**On the run**

* * *

'_I've started to realize I can't get away_

_from what happened, it will always haunt me_

_I'll laugh, cry, scream, and know that no _

_matter how I act it will always be with me_

_the pain is too much to bear, no one helps _

_they worry about me but can't handle my break downs_

_tears and blood will become one as I think, knowing_

_no one cares about what happens to me. _

_knowing that all I have is myself' _

_-Roxie Miller_

* * *

" How do you know?"

" I can hear it, alright!?"

"…"

There was no more room for an argument, sakura knew he was right.

" But where do we go?"

Gaara packed his bag and swung it over his back.

" Somewhere where I'm hoping they can't find us." He said in his rushed tone, he was surprising Sakura with his concerned attitude.

" It wouldn't be a problem right? _If_ they found us?"

"…"

" Gaara?"

Raindrops fell off the leaves, cleansing the forest in its morning glow. Birds fleeing the everyday sun.

" Gaara?"

The early morning breeze picked up, messing around with their hair.

" We have to hurry." Was all he said, averting his eyes to the ground. He turned around, slowly walking away.

He was holding something back, Sakura knew it… The fact that he didn't tell her had to mean it would only hurt her. And so they ran, where to, she didn't know, but then again, she didn't really care. She remembered something important last night, something that let all the pieces of her puzzle fit together.

It had been Gaara.

Gaara had given her the necklace, Gaara had been her childhood friend, Gaara was the reason they left Suna…The exact reason she didn't know though.

She could not remember…

Staring off into the distance she grabbed her backpack and hurried after Gaara. They were probably heading deeper into the forest, but Sakura couldn't really tell, since she lost her way of direction. It was getting cold, even though summer had just started. What first seemed to be a peaceful aura, turned out to be a gloomy and mysterious being. It unsettled Sakura, and seeing Gaara, she could tell it unsettled him as well. Early morning rays were brightening the forest, but they also left dark shadows.

Gaara was in no mood to talk, his behavior was unpredictable, and something told Sakura it would be better to leave him be. Something was nagging at her though, something she desperately wanted to know, but on the other side, she didn't. She was struggling within herself, and it frustrated her.  
Her body was aching from the hard sparring matches they've had, and she had trouble keeping up with Gaara's fast pace, she narrowed her eyes at him, the colors encircling him were some she had never seen before, it made her wonder…

She had to know…She couldn't resist the urge any longer.

" Gaara…" She started timidly, he didn't acknowledge it, but she just continued anyway.

" The necklace...You gave a necklace to a girl…remember?" This caught his attention. A low voiced 'no' could be heard, and so Sakura continued on.

" You gave a necklace like yours to a little girl from Konoha, that came to Suna for a short while."  
Gaara turned his head and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

" She had to leave, her parents didn't want her to be around you…"

Gaara frowned deeply, and wrinkles showed themselves on his face.

" You remember that?" She asked, praying he would.

" …Vagually…" He replied in an uncertain voice.

Sakura began to doubt if she should really rush into telling him everything…Maybe it was better for her to wait.

" You know who she was?" He asked.

Sakura's eye shot up, examining his face. There was nothing to examine though, his eyes as lifeless as the darned moon. Agitated by the inability to read him she suddenly caught a thin lining of colors around him. Vivid greens and yellows, that were practically screaming at her to continue. The corners of her mouth slightly lifted, almost unnoticeable. The unseen smile only lasted for seconds though, as she debated whether to tell him her findings already, or to post-pone revealing the truth.

The hairs on her neck shot up as her alarms spiked upon hearing a twig snap in the distance. This made her realize this wasn't the moment nor the time.

" No." She heard herself reply, her voice lacking the power to convince. But Gaara didn't know any better any way. It wasn't a surprise either when he turned again and ran off, forcing her to follow.

They travelled in silence, lacking the comfort of friendship. To be honest, there wasn't anything between them at all. Sakura was grateful to him for training her up until now. She had to admit she was curious about him, he was practically a mystery to her. She had no idea what made him change from the sweet little boy to this silent teenager that showed no emotion at all.  
The air was thick with discomfort and Sakura felt her heart speed up due to the tense atmosphere. She simply couldn't take it any longer.

" So, Gaara… You have anything you like to do?" She asked, sounding more unsure then she intended to.

" Sports? Activities? " She continued, practically trying to drag out an answer of some sorts.

" No."

Sakura fell silent again. This wasn't going anywhere… At all.

" Ever went to the beach? It's one of my favorite places. The water is always so refreshing."

" No."

" Oh… Really? That's a pity. It's really nice. I remember one time when me and my friend Ino went there, Naruto insisted to join. Well you see, there were these kids that just totall-"

" Why do you talk so much?" Gaara interrupted her mid sentence. His voice lacked emotion, but she could feel his annoyance.

" Well…" Well what? What was she supposed to answer to that? 'Well you see, I'm really uncomfortable right now and I thought that if we could get to know each other we could be total best buds forever and would skip off into the sunset.' No. She was sure that wouldn't be very appropriate. " I guess I was being curious about you." She honestly continued.

" There's nothing to be curious about. Stop it."

Well, that was blunt? Sakura felt slightly hurt by the abrupt comment. It was insane though. Everything about him made her curious!

" I can't agree to that."

" If I wouldn't be curious, then where'd the point in living be? Without the need to learn new things or explore mysteries. Where would I get the same thrill I get from figuring out the puzzles thrown upon me?"

" I'm a puzzle to you?"

Was he?

" No! Wait! Not like that! I mean, without wanting to know you and learning from you, how could I possible become your friend?"

"…You don't."

Sakura felt her feet starting to throb from the distance they had already covered. When would they stop?

" Aren't you curious about me?" She asked, her voice slightly faltering due to her hoarse throat.

" No."

WHY NOT? She wanted to yell at him.

" Are you curious about anything else then?"

" Sasuke Unchiha." He simply stated, as if it was absolutely ordinary.

" Why?" Sakura asked puzzled.

Gaara stayed silent for a while.

" Because we want each other dead." He finally replied. Killing the conversation.

* * *

They arrived at a hidden clearance later in the afternoon. Sweat covering Sakura's body, making her feel dirty. She looked at Gaara who wasn't sweating at all.

Peculiar.

" Gaara I really need a bath or something."

He nodded.

… That certainly wasn't very helpful.

" Did you see any streams or rivers nearby?"

He stayed silent.

"… Never mind, I'll go find one myself." She decided. " I'll bring some water too if possible. Maybe some food, I don't know."

… Awkward.

Sakura wasn't very amused at his silence. He could at least answer using yes or no. Couldn't he?  
Feeling slightly pissed at his lack of response she walked off.

Only minutes later she was cursing the entire forest. Using words she didn't even knew she had in her vocabulary. Or if they even existed in a real one for that matter. Thorns had punctured her pale skin, leaving bad scrapes all over her exposed legs and arms. She had also stumbled upon some sort of dying animal that, ironically enough, had lain straight in her path.  
Suppressing the urge to vomit, she looked at her_ sandal_. She swore for a moment that between the left over pieces of rotting flesh she could see a worm. Squirming between her former clean toes.

Luck was not on her side.

This proved to be more true then she originally thought when she couldn't find a stream at all. Disappointed and dirtier then before she started searching she returned to the camp site Gaara had prepared.

" You look filthy." He simply stated, as if she didn't know.

" Yea, I couldn't find any water. At all!"

Gaara nodded, turning a stick he was holding above the fire he created. What surprised Sakura was the thing that was hanging on the end of the stick.

A fish.

" You went fishing?" She asked, feeling anger build up.

" yes." He motioning to a pile of fish beside the fire, as if it had been obvious.

" But you said you didn't see a river nearby!" She almost yelled at him.

" No, you assumed that. I never said anything. Besides, you'd only ruin the clean water and scare the fish away." There was no emotion in his voice, so she didn't take it as an insult. At first, when the words played over in her mind she realized how much of an insult it was, to her at least.

" I! You! How…!? I don't scare away the fish!" She argued, knowing she had no solid arguments whatsoever. It didn't keep her from trying to defend her honor though.

" …" Gaara just flipped the fish again as if she never spoke.

His colors showed nothing either, nothing but the usual crimson surrounding him. Silently she sat next to him near the fire. Shoulders almost touching, only apart for millimeters. This somehow seemed to concern Gaara. Sakura ignored it and silently stared into his deep eyes. Void of emotion, but yet, in a strange way, full of it. The endless blues mixed with greens seemed to hide everything, yet they revealed more than ever. The flames that seemed to burn right into his eyes made the color spark with life. Sakura guessed she never noticed, for she had never sat so close.

" What are you doing?" Gaara asked.

" Wondering…"

They fell silent. In the deep corners of his eyes, Sakura could vaguely see the question. ' About what?'. He didn't ask though. She figured he didn't want to. Didn't want to have a conversation. To get to know each other. To be friends. She did though, that should be enough.

" Do people hate you Gaara?" She asked out of the blue. Smelling the fish. He seemed reluctant to answer, she could see it on the colors around him.

" Yes." He didn't go into detail. She wished he would. Staring back into the fire she thought it over. He might tell her later. he hoped he would.

" I don't."

His eyes ever so slightly widened. If it hadn't been for her sitting so close, she wouldn't have seen.

" You're my friend." She decided to add, deciding it was a good argument.

" I don't have friends." He replied.

" I do though, and you're one of them."

They fell silent again. Sakura noticed him looking at her from the corners of his eyes. The fish was ready and he offered it to her. She happily accepted, feeling her stomach complain all the louder from starvation. They both ate away at their fish. A comfortable silence filling the air. It was the silence of accepting. Of Gaara accepting Sakura as his friend, in a way. It was a start of something good, she hoped. He'd open up to her. He just needed time.

Suddenly she felt an immense spark travel down her arm and up her neck. It came from her shoulder! As she spun her head around she noticed it touched Gaara's. Gaara seemed to notice too and quickly jumped up. Glaring down at her he turned and walked away. Disappearing in the dark woods.  
Sakura didn't say a word. Shock settling down on her face. What was _that_?

* * *

A/N: Sorry, been dead. I know. Needed some time I guess.  
The writer's block I was suffering from was huge.  
I'm planning on writing a few chapters at once, and update when I'm done. This might take a few weeks. Or a few days. Depends.  
I'm rewriting some parts of the story too, I simply hate them.

I have to say, the fact that I'm continuing this story is mostly because of the wonderful reviews!  
Sorry for the wait!

Please, if you want this story finish, review. It really makes me feel that it was all worth the effort.  
Thank you all.


	6. Day 4

_Suddenly she felt an immense spark travel down her arm and up her neck. It came from her shoulder! As she spun her head around she noticed it touched Gaara's. Gaara seemed to notice too and quickly jumped up. Glaring down at her he turned and walked away. Disappearing in the dark woods.__  
__Sakura didn't say a word. Shock settling down on her face. What was __that__?_

**Chapter 6**

**Day 4**__

Goosebumps covered her legs when she dipped her small feet into the cold stream. She thanked the gods for finding this rare source of water. Gagging at her own scent, she was glad she could cleanse her body. Feeling her feet getting used to the cold temperature, she walked in further. Small leaves circled at the surface as her feet made their way through the slick sand. When she finally let her body drop down onto the muddy underground, she focused her look at the rising sun. She had awoken alone that morning.

A part of her worried about Gaara, but she knew better. He was more than capable of protecting himself then she would ever be.

Wrinkles formed upon her forehead as she frowned at the sky. Why did he leave? What did she feel last night? Her hand went up to softly rub the spot on her shoulder that had briefly touched Gaara's. She remembered the spark, it's intensity beyond belief. As she started to rinse her hair she heard something approaching. She immediately recognized the dusty scent.**  
**  
" You shouldn't bathe this early in the morning. The water's too cold."

She softly smiled.

" Guess I want it too badly." She replied, her tone soft and friendly.  
She turned her head to her red-headed stalker.

" You shouldn't sneak up on women bathing."

A small smirk entered his face. He looked down at the ground, shrugging and then sitting down on a nearby rock.

" Guess I want it too badly." He finally replied after a few seconds.

Sakura squinted her eyes at him. His expression was back to its normal state, betraying none of his feelings. She smiled at the small unusual colors in his eyes though.

Turning her head back at the stream again, she silently played with the water. Her bindings were slightly loosened by it, but not enough to fall off.

" We should practice your flexibility today." She heard him say.

She nodded her head, keeping her eyes on the water's surface. A small current caused it to softly splash against her body. A sudden sunray surprised her when it hit her cold body. She turned her head to see Gaara being hit by it too. It enlightened his pale skin and seemed to set his hair on fire. She softly smiled at the sight, liking the way his spiky hair swayed in the soft breeze. Like flames dancing in the wind.

" Have you ever been in love?" She heard herself asking, not sure why she did.

He looked at her, surprised by her sudden and random question. She stared into his eyes as he seemed to be looking for the right answer. As he adverted his gaze, his lips slightly parted, hesitant to reply.

" No."

Sakura frowned. Slightly disappointed by the answer.

" Me neither." She told him. He looked at her again, shifting a little on his rock.

" Why not?"

Sakura shrugged as she continued to wash her herself.

" I used to think I was. But… Now I know it wasn't real love."

Gaara seemed to be confused by her answer. Frowning slightly he gazed at the thick trees.

" How would you know real love, if you've never actually been in love?"

Sakura fell silent for a few seconds at that. He was right in a way. A rational way.

" Instinct." She told him.

Finishing off her hair and body, she stood. Briefly glancing at Gaara, she made her way towards her clothes. She dried herself using her dress, annoyed at the sand that stuck to her feet. Wringing the water out of her hair, she dressed when it was dry enough to not soak her clothes any further.

When she was done she looked at Gaara, who had been staring at her the entire time.

" It's not polite to stare like that." She told him, slightly annoyed at his ill manners. At least she hadn't been naked.

He simply shrugged and stood from the rock. As he turned and walked off he looked back to see if she was following. Seeming pleased when he saw she did he pointed his gaze forward again. He appeared to be in a good mood, which made Sakura wonder about where he'd been the entire night. Jogging a bit she walked up to his side, feeling the brittle leaves break underneath her feet. She looked at Gaara's, admiring how the skin on his feet was unblemished and in one word… Perfect. Frowning she looked at her own, feeling slightly annoyed by the small scars, dirt and other spots.

" How many days do we have left?" She asked.

" 10." He replied, not looking at her. It had felt as if they had been in the forest forever.

" Hmm, I see. What'll happen after 10 days?"

Gaara tipped his head to look at her.

" You and I fight each other in hopes of succeeding."

Sakura gazed at the forest floor as she thought about it.

" Would you kill me?" She boldly asked, boring into his teal eyes, searching for the answers. Expecting him to be dishonest.

" No." He calmly stated. His eyes not showing anything. Ridden of color. Ridden of emotion. Did he lie? Or had it been the truth?

Sakura smiled nonetheless. Trying to imagine what facing Gaara during the Chuuning exams would be like. It felt exciting, thinking about it.  
Arriving at the campsite she noticed Gaara had made a full training field only a few feet away.

" Wow Gaara! How did you manage to do that!?" She asked bewildered.

Gaara slightly shrugged.

" Not that difficult." Was all he answered while walking onto the sandy grounds.  
Sakura followed, liking the crunchy noises the sand made as she took step by step.

Gaara halted a short distance away, turned to face her and crossed his arms.

Sakura hesitated a bit while finally coming to a halt too. She looked up into Gaara's eyes and saw him ponder about things. Finally after a few moments he sat down on the ground, motioning to Sakura to do the same. She felt a bit puzzled as she slightly bit her lip.

Gaara spread his legs sideways, obviously wanting Sakura to do the same. She couldn't help but be amused by the sight, that was until she tried herself. Feeling her muscles ache as she tried her best to get into the same position. Licking her lips in concentration she frowned at how stiff she appeared to be. She never really realized, for she had never worried about it before.

" Grab your right foot with both hands." Gaara told her, as he did as he said. Sakura raised her eyebrows, already in pain. With her eyes clenched shut she tried to reach to her foot, but it seemed she simply couldn't! Was she really this weak!?

" Try to relax your muscles." Gaara advised.

Sakura glanced at his calm face and nodded. Trying again, she tried to stay as calm as possible. Slowly breathing in and out she felt her fingertips wrap around her small toes. A grin worked its way upon her slightly sweaty face as she felt proud of what she just did.

They repeated the same thing on both sides 10 times. And Sakura felt her muscles loosening up. They did some more exercises that would warm them up for the practice to come.

Feeling great now her body was adjusted to the strain she put on it, Sakura swiped the sweat of her brow. She glanced at Gaara who slowly stood. His eyes connected with hers and he motioned her to do the same. Slightly hesitating she walked towards him.

" Stretch your arms up in the air." He told her. She complied.

From the corner of her eye she could see his hand traveling upwards. Appearing to be slightly nervous he put his hand on the small of her back. Feeling a surge of electricity travel up her spine she shivered almost immediately. She looked him in the eyes and saw the bewilderment on his face. Licking his lips he nodded for her to lean back, keeping her from falling on the ground. Moving slowly she felt awkward in the rather unusual position. Slightly trembling she felt her fingertips touch the ground. Eager to be able to support her own weight she slammed her hands down, startling Gaara with the sudden force. His stance however, never wavered.

securely placed, Gaara removed his hand, leaving a terribly cold spot on her back.

" Now try to swing your legs upwards." He instructed.

Sakura nodded, biting down on her lip. Infusing chakra into her feet she used a small blast to lift her legs up into the air. Standing in a fully upright position with only her hands supporting her, she felt herself wobble, lacking the proper balance.

" This is a basic move that will come in handy during battle. Not only is it fast, and if properly mastered, swift. It allows you to avoid attacks directed at the feet." Gaara told her in his monotone voice.

Feeling some sweat trickling down her spine, she especially shivered when it crossed the part where his unusually warm hand had been. Wondering if that kind of body heat was human, she landed on her feet, facing him.

When he stepped closer she could feel the heat filling the air, slightly dazing her. He didn't appear to be unfazed by it though, as he looked rather wary of it too.  
The crackling air seemed to draw her closer, as if an unknown force pulled her forward. Her eyes drooped slightly as she watched Gaara's expression.

He appeared to be deep in thought, debating with himself. Or was it just himself? She mentally shook her head, claiming the idea as ridiculous. But as she took another step, She noticed a very peculiar color radiating off of him. She had never seen it before, so she had no clue as what to call it. She felt her breaths becoming shorter, more hurried.

What was going on inside his head? What kept him alive? She heard herself ponder.

What kept her alive?

Feeling her hands traveling upwards, towards his face, her hurried breathing slightly faltered.

He just gazed at her.

What was going on?

" I could rip those off." He suggested towards her arms. His tone causing her hands to slightly tremble. His aura was scaring her to death, yet it seemed to make her want to come even closer.

Feeling her hands tingle with warmth upon touching his smooth skin, she wondered what had caused them to wind up in this position.  
Tracing the scar on his forehead with her thin, fragile fingers, she felt her heart skipping more than a few beats. When her eyes locked with his, she realized how close they were actually standing, the tips of their noses barely touching. Her head felt fuzzy, and her heavy eyes made her want to fall asleep in this air of warmth.

Her eyes stared intently into his.

What had they been doing? How had this happened?

Tracing his features, she felt her feet moving closer to his. His lips slightly parted and she got a glimpse of his white teeth.

Who was he?

Closing her eyes she leaned into his chest, feeling his heartbeat against hers.

Who was she?

Leaning her forehead against his, her arms encircling his neck, his staggering breaths tickling her cheeks.  
His arms moved up, enclosing her in a tight cocoon. Her body filling with an unknown heat, accompanied with the same tingling sensation she felt before.

Holding her breath, she blacked out.

* * *

She awoke with a start, feeling dizzy from the uncomfortable heat of the afternoon sun. Slightly disorientated, she took in her surroundings. To her left, she noticed a blotch of red, Gaara. He appeared to be asleep… Yet this strange suffocating air seemed to emanate from him. Dangerously dark colors surrounded him, taking over his usual crimson aura. As if eating at him. Eating?

Worriedly she shook his shoulder, trying to get a response. He felt cold. Icily cold. Upon touching him she felt sick to her stomach, wanting to throw up she backed up from his unconscious form. What had happened? Had they trained to hard? When did they lie down? Looking around desperately for clues, she found none.

Looking back at Gaara she noticed the deep tint of black taking over more and more. This couldn't be good…

" Gaara," She started.

No response.

" Gaara!" She repeated.

Nothing.

Hesitant to touch him, she tried again. Shaking his shoulders, his head wobbled eerily.

" Gaara!"

With her heart beating a mile per hour she felt like she was going to faint. A heavy feeling settling down upon her shoulders, the urge to throw up grew by the second.  
She didn't let go of him though.

Gritting her teeth she called out to him again.

Still no response.

Getting more desperate, she felt her rationality slipping. And before she noticed her hands were covered with chakra. Glowing in a strange way, she watched perplexed as the chakra entered Gaara's body, erasing the black hues.

Beads of sweat running down her forehead, she closed her eyes. Hearing a distant voice cry out, freezing her body in fear. The maniacal screams appeared to cease after a while, and opening her eyes she noticed Gaara staring at her.

His vision clearer then it had been before.

Retreating her hands, she felt her stomach calm down.

" You… fell asleep." Was all she could manage to sputter.

He was silent for a while, just sitting there. His short frame supported by his pale arms. He looked so small, so thin and breakable right now. Making Sakura realize all the more that, they were just children.

" I could have killed you." His cold words not really directed at anything, yet striking her.

The sun was setting, and the atmosphere was chilling. How had time passed to quickly? What had they been doing?

Sakura felt her long pink stresses being carried by the wind.

" You wouldn't." She stated, yet feeling very uncertain.

He didn't remove his eyes from hers. Staring intently at her. His pale skin taking a strange glow from the setting sun.

" I would kill the world." He replied.

Sakura smiled.

" But not me."

His eyes softened.

" But not you."


	7. Day 5

" _I could have killed you." His cold words not really directed at anything, yet striking her._-

The sun was setting, and the atmosphere was chilling. How had time passed to quickly? What had they been doing?

Sakura felt her long pink stresses being carried by the wind.

" You wouldn't." She stated, yet feeling very uncertain.

He didn't remove his eyes from hers. Staring intently at her. His pale skin taking a strange glow from the setting sun.

" I would kill the world." He replied.

Sakura smiled.

" But not me."

His eyes softened.

" But not you."

**Chapter 7**

Day 5

-Sakura played with her silky locks, twirling them between her slender fingers in every way possible. She could hear the soft rustling of leaves outside her tent. The moon illuminated them in a way that was almost scary.

Almost.

Replaying the events of this afternoon over and over again in her mind, she wondered what had made her act that way. Feeling her cheeks slightly redden in embarrassment, she rethought her actions. Amazed at the courage she had shown, touching Gaara like that, walking up to him… Embracing him.

Now that her mind was clear, it just seemed, not only uncharacteristic, but also impossible. Gaara had never touched her. Or had he?

Trying to remember the first time he had touched her, the previous night came to mind.

The last time they had practiced her 'flexibility', using the same routine, he had used sand to support her.

Yet today, he had used his hand.

Could it have something to do with last night?

Remembering the state of ecstasy the electricity had left her in, she wouldn't doubt it. Gaara had probably felt it too, maybe he had become curious?  
Maybe he intended all of this to happen. It occurred to her that he had said nothing. Nothing of real importance at least.  
He had just accepted her touching him. He had just stared at her. Stood there. His heart had been racing she recalled, she had felt it through his shirt.

It had felt so warm in his embrace, inhuman, again. Or was it human? Was it something she just never experienced before? Something completely normal.

Chemistry?

She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

But then her mind settled onto the black out.

Or had she really blacked out? Maybe… Just maybe, she had fallen asleep.

She knew that, the past years she had had trouble sleeping. Her body and mind had been tired for a long time. Never really getting the proper rest, always carrying the strain of everyday life. She hadn't put much thought into it. Never really bothered to. But after falling asleep this afternoon, she had felt strangely rested, refreshed maybe. As if all the sleep that had been missed was suddenly caught up with.

She smiled slightly, her fingers working out a small knot they had found.

Gaara had fallen asleep too. Maybe he had problems sleeping just like her? He must have been tired.

A frown suddenly replaced her lighthearted smile.

Recalling the sickening feeling she had felt upon touching him when he was asleep. The dark air surrounding him, eating away at him. Her heart had raced in an ill way when he didn't wake up.

Closing her eyes, she mesmerized the chakra flowing through her hands. She never knew she had abilities like that. Or was it really an ability?

Looking at her hands, she could still see the remnants of Gaara. His colors still resting upon her palms. His scent still captured by her fingers, the feel of his skin still fresh in her mind.

Friends they were.

Yet she couldn't quite place him as a friend. But he wasn't less. Had he become more?

Snorting at the thought she quickly disposed of it. Nothing had happened between them. She had nothing to justify the idea.

Still a strange smile settled upon her face. Closing her eyes she mouthed some words.

" But not you."

The next day had gone by quickly. After the rather awkward sparring match they had, each had taken shelter underneath the large trees.

Sakura hadn't expected for it all to be like this, but after the previous day's events they both appeared to be rather reluctant towards each other. Not sure about their feelings and proper ways to approach one another. Gaara had been more silent than usual, and Sakura could only wonder what was going through his mind.

Irritated, she pulled at her long pink tresses, removing them from her heated face. She stared at her trainer, whom was lying underneath the opposite tree. The rustling of the leaves by the wind was the only sound besides their breathing. Biting down on her lip she recalculated some thoughts of her own. Pondering on what to do, or not to do. Closing her eyes shut, she decided to be bold and quickly stood from her spot.

With slightly trembling hands she walked over to Gaara, all the while cursing at her stupid self for doing this.

The person in question opened his dark rimmed eyes at the sound of cracking leaves, indicating footsteps.

As he looked her in the eye she considered turning around.

But she didn't.

Dropping down beside him she grinned at the sheer warmth he gave off. Intoxicated by it, she felt herself relax.  
Leaning her head against the tree she closed her eyes, enjoying the proximity. The sun was already starting to set, coating them in orange hues.

" I've been alone." Gaara caught her by surprise.

A small breeze passed, allowing her to take a small whiff of his unusual scent.

Smiling she replied; " Me too."

Both fell silent. Uncertain of what was becoming of them. And on the other hand, not caring in the least.

What would Sasuke be doing right now? Sakura found herself wondering. She mentally slapped herself for it, yet she couldn't hold herself from the traitorous thought. Would he miss her at all? Would he even care? A small frown created a slight crease upon her pale forehead. Disappointment tugging at her heart, she figured he probably wouldn't. He was so perfect… Everything a girl could wish for.

Mysterious, complicated, handsome, cool, strong… Why had she allowed herself to fall for his type? She'd never stand a chance, or so she reckoned.

She needed to get her head out of the gutter. What had she been thinking! Why had her mind been so clouded by this boy? It was as if, now that he wasn't there, her thoughts finally made sense. She was more rational then she had ever been.

Scratching her dirty leg, she felt her eyelids droop, tired from the entire day full of practice, she wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep. Putting aside her thoughts of Sasuke, she drowsily blinked a few times, allowing her head to rest upon Gaara's shoulder, causing her heart to swell with warmth. Wiping a few grains of sand from her exhausted legs, before closing her eyes, she felt herself drift off. The shivers that ran through Gaara's shoulder didn't go unnoticed, and she couldn't help but grin at the small notice.

Glancing at his hand, which rested upon his knee, she noticed the warm colors that radiated off of him. As if he was slowly starting to melt. Smiling, she fell asleep, allowing the scent of Gaara to intrude her mind.

She woke up to find Gaara staring directly into her eyes, seeming to penetrate her very soul. Slightly shaken by this peculiar gesture, she backed away against the tree, trying to escape his intense gaze. The sky had turned purple, and the temperature was obviously dropping. She hadn't slept long, but at least it had been long enough to rest her muscles. Her legs didn't feel as strained as they had before, and her arms didn't feel as bruised either.

Swallowing silently, she darted her eyes at the boy next to her, his hand still upon his knee, sitting in the exact same manner as before. It was as if he hadn't moved at all. Meeting his stare for a brief second, she wondered what he was thinking. She didn't feel like speaking, enjoying the mutual silence between them, treasuring the unspoken words. But yet she felt like she needed to, just to break his impenetrable gaze.

Seeming to have picked up on her discomfort, he quickly looked away, taking a deep breath. She felt his shoulder twitch in the slightest, and found herself liking the movement against her skin. Her small hands traveled to her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. Stifling a yawn, she could almost smell the colors flowing freely from Gaara's body, surrounding her in a light cloud. They were so intense, yet soft, she treasured their strange hues.

" What do you live for?" Gaara suddenly broke the silence, he appeared to be doing that more frequently.

Sakura carefully mauled over the words, considering possible answers, discarding them when not adequate. Rubbing her chin whilst biting her rosy lip, she wondered.

" For my friends and family, I think, and I guess for my own entertainment also." She decided upon answering.

"Your own entertainment?" Gaara more stated than asked, his tone flat as a penny.

Looking into his eyes, she found him to be looking incredulously at her. At least, that's the emotion she found within the jade depths. Laughing at that revelation, she tipped her head to the side, smiling up to him.

" What point would there be in living if you don't enjoy it in the least?" She asked him, giggling at the dense stare he sent her.

Probably thinking over his words before answering, she patiently awaited his reply. Sneakily taking the opportunity to sneak closer to his warm form unnoticed.

" What would there be to enjoy?" He countered.

She wanted to slap him in the face, at least shake him a little. There was so much to enjoy! How could he possibly even ask? Had he never lived at all? Of course, he was a shinobi, as was she. She sadly had to admit to herself that shinobi often didn't get the chance to allow themselves to enjoy anything at all.

" I guess it's more like enjoying the appreciation of the smaller things given to us."

He turned away, taking that thought to ponder about by himself. She smiled sympathetically at him, he probably had been struggling for most of his life, like most shinobi children did.

That truth reminded her of Naruto, how would he be holding up without her? Feeling shame and regret washing over her body as she thought of the way she had treated him the past few years, she quickly discarded all thoughts of the jinchuuriki boy. Not wanting to ruin her mood. She had always felt a twinge of guilt strike her heart when she acted rudely towards him, but she couldn't entirely help it, it had become a force of habit… Kind of.

" Like this?" Gaara again startled her with his sudden comment.

Feeling slightly dazed, and not having heard what exactly he had said, she mildly shook her head before returning his gaze, her eyebrows raised by her yet unspoken question.

" What?"

" Like this" He quickly replied. Looking at her with his eyes fully opened, almost making him appear surprised.

" Like this? What do you mean by that?" She asked, feeling annoyed by that vagueness that dominated their conversation.

He just looked at her with that exact same expression, as if trying top understand why she wasn't getting it.

" Like us sitting here, talking." He then explained, sounding like he was stating obvious facts, which he was.

Realization downed upon her as she took in what he had said. Smiling warmly at him when she finally understood. He was right, this was a moment to enjoy, actually, it was a moment she was enjoying, to the fullest even. It wasn't often when she could just sit down like this, thinking about her life, going through her mistakes and sharing her point of view, all the while enjoying the much appreciated source of heat next to her.

Nodding she replied; " Like this."

She swore she could see one of the corners of his mouth lift upward… Too bad it was turning too dark to see clearly. Squinting her eyes, the moment had passed quicker than it had come.

Silence rested down upon them once more, engulfing them in a strange sense comfort and companionship. The crescent moon had shown up and illuminated both of them. The dark leaves rustled all around them, making it feel like this situation was nothing but a dream, nothing but a good dream.

Studying Gaara's features, while he appeared to be doing the same with her, she couldn't help but like the way he still looked so much like a boy. His face still soft and round, his cheeks still slightly puffy, his skin still perfectly smooth and his eyes still endearingly big. The way his eyes wandered her own face caused a satisfying shiver to travel up her spine.

" Stay with me" It was her turn to break the silence.

Gaara simply stared at her, his eyes now locked with hers. She could feel his breaths linger on her flushed cheeks, she could smell his intoxicating sent that reminded her so much of hot summers and sand on the beaches she would visit.

Slowly but surely, he nodded, and allowed her to rest her head upon his shoulder once more. She was starting to tire again, even though she didn't want to sleep just yet. She was trying to treasure their time together. Her heart ached at the realization that he would be gone after all this, after the chuunin exams, he'd be gone.

She looked at his face, noticing the way his lips slightly parted, as if wanting to say something to her. Closing when he probably couldn't think of anything, he simply stared at the moon.

Smiling, she closed her eyes, feeling sleep taking her once again. Muttering something beneath her breath, just before she faded.

" Stay."


End file.
